2022 FIFA World Cup preview

The time has finally come for the 22nd edition of the World Cup. As we see the world’s best players represent their respective countries, this tournament should be full of passion and drama. We thought we would give a quick preview into the most hyped sporting event of the year.

Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands

With one of the best defensive cores in world football, the Netherlands is here to play. As Virgil Van Dijk leads the defense, the offense is a toss-up. Cody Gakpo and Frenkie De Jong being in-form could make up for the Netherlands’ shocking disappearance from Russia’s 2018 World Cup. The aptly named ‘Lions of Teranga’, Senegal are here to make the distance after winning the African Nations cup. With Mane and Koulibaly, this team is in good hands but not for much longer, as the team is aging.

With young stars like Piero Hincapie rooting the defense, Ecuador is a surprising team with no goals conceded in the last five games. However, their production is lacking, and they will need a lot more than their top striker Enner Valencia can provide. Finally, the home team is Qatar. In its very first World Cup, the future looks bleak. In their friendlies they played previously, they’ve shown they’ve got a long road before they’ll find winning ways, but Almoez Ali and Akram Afif look like the duo to lead them there. 

Group B: England, Iran, United States, Wales

Starting with Iran, they’re sitting fairly even after hiring Carlos Quieroz. They held their own against good competition in the exhibitions leading up to the World Cup, but I do not believe their performance will see them exit the group stage. Wales is made up of solid players and will be depending on Gareth Bale more than ever with this possibly being his very last World Cup. 

The USA has a solid squad as always, however, this is the same squad that failed to qualify for Russia last year. They are still too young and aren’t better than England or Wales. This is the first shock of our World Cup predictions: Wales will make out of the group stages instead of the United States. And finally, England. Full of crafty playmaking and speed, emerging young stars Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham are looking to impress at their first World Cup. If injuries don’t hold them back, England can go far this year.

Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland

The group round is just one stop on Argentina’s journey far into the World Cup.This will look like just one stop on their way far into the World Cup for Argentina. With this being his last World Cup, Lionel Messi will be exciting to watch as he propels Argentina into the knockouts. Mexico has made it out of the group stage in theevery time in the last 7 World Cups, so they have the experience, and this young, scrappy team looks dangerous. However, willis Raul Gimenez be able to lead “El Tri” to success against Robert Lewandowski’s team Poland? The star striker is looking to pull Poland out of the group stages for the first time in 40 years, and with Qatar also being his final World Cup, he will want to go out with a bang. Saudi Arabia’s team does not have a single player that plays outside of the Saudi Pro League. While they still will have plenty more friendlies before the World Cup, they are still no match for the competition in Qatar.

Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia

The World Cup curse happens every year; every time a country wins, the next World Cup they fail to exit the group stage. However, things could be different for France. They have the star-studded lineup to be the first team in a very long time to break the world cup curse. Headliners Kylian Mbappe and Ballon D’or winner Karim Benzema lead the French while Christian Eriksen, Andreas Christensen, and Kasper Schmeichel lead a power Denmark trio against the reigning champs. Australia and Tunisia, as I have stated previously, will be fairly non-existent against the powerful top two, but we can see Australia catching a few surprise winners.

Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan

Top players for Spain such as Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati, and Marcos Llorente will be playing in their first World Cup, while Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are playing in their last world cup. Inexperience could prove their downfall in this very competitive group. Meanwhile, Germany could go all the way and win their 5th world cup. This star-studded team has the likes of Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer, who will be looking to show out in the last World Cup of their respective and legendary careers. They also have superstars Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, and blooming star Jamal Musiala to help push for the coveted trophy. Japan seems ready to cause some problems in this tournament. They aren’t the favourite, so they could shock the world and advance from this group. Key players Takefusa Kubo and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s play will make the difference for the boys in Samurai Blue. Costa Rica barely made this World Cup but don’t be shocked if they manage to take a point or two from some of these other teams. With a great and experienced attack backed up by legendary keeper Keylor Navas, this team has been known to shock teams much better than them.

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia

This group, dubbed “the group of chaos,” could generate any mixture of teams advancing to the knockout stages. Belgium should be able to advance, but as we’ve seen repeatedly, Belgium can’t seem to get it done. Kevin De Bruyne can’t do everything for this team and needs other top players to really step it up if they want to make a deep run in this tournament. Canada, in their first world cup since 1986, seems prepped to make a huge splash in this group. This team from the North was one of the most dangerous teams in qualifying, with the sheer firepower of Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, and Cyle Larin all raising eyebrows around the world. Morocco is looking like one of the most underrated teams in this tournament. However, they are missing one of their best players in Hakim Ziyech, and his absence will be a big loss to this team. With the golden generation of Croatia nearing its end, they will be looking to make one last push in this World Cup. Croatian legend Luka Modric is playing in his last world cup and will be looking to go out with a bang.

Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon

Does Brazil even need to show up? With possibly the best attacking core in the world, superstar Neymar Jr. leading a team full of stars and a very talented defense, Brazil looks like they won’t have any problems in this group. Serbia looks poised to fight for a spot to get out of the group stage for the first time ever. This team has a very skilled attacking core led by Aleksandar Mitrovic, with Dusan Vlahovic and Luka Jovic right by his side. However, to get out of this group, Serbia’s defense will need to step up. The Swiss national team’s culture is to be efficient and well-drilled. This culture, while lacking creativity, could prove to be very effective against young and inexperienced teams like Serbia and Cameroon. Swiss legends Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri will be the lifeblood of this team and will be crucial to Switzerland’s run. Cameroon may have the most in-form attacker in this group. As Bayern Munich Star Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has 8 goals in the last 10 matches, he seems impossible to stop. In a group with weaker defense, Cameroon’s star marksman could wreak havoc.   

Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

The properly rated group of death. With this world cup being Cristiano Ronaldo’s last, group favorite Portugal is sporting what may be their best squad ever with stars up and down this team. However, Uruguay is looking not too far behind Portugal with an extremely strong defense and a talented attacking core with the likes of Darwin Nunez and Federico Valverde. They are shaping up to belooking like a dark horse team in this tournament. South Korea is a big question mark in this group as Star Heung-Min Son may miss the tournament due to injury. If he manages to come back, they could steal a top 2 spot to advance in this group. Ghana is looking like the worst team in this group, but with some players being in top form, they could shock this group and advance. This is a group where you can’t sleep on any team.

Final Prediction

2022 FIFA World Cup Winners: Argentina

What better ending could there be than Lionel Messi finally winning a world cup in his last dance for Argentina? This fairy tale ending could be a reality as this may be Argentina’s best squad in a while. This team is in stunning form as they just won the Copa America and haven’t lost in 35 matches. 

Cover Photo: Emmett Moore